UM women put NCAA sanctions behind, beat Virginia 85-74 on emotional Senior Day
Senior Day is always emotional for University of Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier.
Sunday, there were a few extra tears as seven seniors played their final game at the Watsco Center. They made sure they walked off the floor on a good note with an 85-74 win over Virginia.
It was a tough weekend for Meier and her players following Friday’s announcement that the NCAA hit the program with sanctions for a violation in the recruitment of senior transfers Haley and Hanna Cavinder.
“There was a lot going on and Senior Night is always emotional,” Meier said. “My team, in our bubble, I’ll ride with them. They’ve been amazing. You get a text message, a note, a hug. There’s a lot of strength.
“I wanted this game to be about our seniors and celebrating their accomplishments. But no, it was not easy. It’s been hard. At this point, that’s it. Alright. It’s something that had been lingering and we’re moving on and I’m so excited going into the ACC tournament.”
Despite the distractions, the twin guards and their teammates were laser-focused on basketball Sunday. Four Hurricanes hit double figures in the victory.
Graduate student Destiny Harden, the heart and soul of the team the past few seasons, filled up the stat sheet with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Her family was there for the occasion, and she dedicated the performance to her late-grandmother, with whom she lived in high school. She wrote her grandmother’s name on her wristband.
Harden called her last home game “emotional and bittersweet.”
“Destiny with a double-double was all toughness,” Meier said. “Ten defensive rebounds, which is ridiculous. An incredible performance, everything we needed.”
The Cavinder twins combined for 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Hanna Cavinder hit five threes for 15 points. Haley, UM’s leading scorer this season, finished with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Senior guard Karla Erjavec had a game-best seven assists and no turnovers.
The other seniors were Lola Pendande, Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, and Kenza Salgues.
“Our seniors were gritty and tough and had a mission,” Meier said. “Every single one of them, in the card I wrote them, the word resilient came up. It is incredible what some of these athletes have gone through, and people don’t understand what they have to handle.”
Meier said as each senior was being honored she remembered the first time she met them and their families, and the hard times they endured together.
While the seniors were spotlighted before and during the game, it was a freshman, Kyla Oldacre, who had her best game since arriving on campus as a highly touted McDonald’s All-American. The 6-6 center from Mason, Ohio, scored 19 points, eclipsing her previous high of nine points. She also had a season-best eight rebounds and played a season-high 22 minutes.
“A sign of things to come,” Meier said. “We see it every day in practice.
Meier made it a point to praise the Cavaliers.
“I have to congratulate Virginia, I am so impressed with them,” she said. “I love their coach, love their staff. That team in any other league is .500. I’m pro-ACC, I know that, but if you ever want to know how hard it was this year in the ACC, look at that awesome team and understand they had only four wins. That is ridiculous and what we’ve been dealing with all year.”
With the win, Miami ended the regular season 18-11 overall and 11-7 in the ACC. The Hurricanes leave for Greensboro, North Carolina, on Tuesday for the ACC Tournament, where they will be the sixth seed and open play on Thursday night. The Hurricanes will take on either the 11th-seeded Boston College Eagles (15-16, 5-13 ACC) or the 14th-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13-15, 4-13 ACC).
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum and the game will air on ACC Network.
This story was originally published February 26, 2023 at 3:21 PM.